St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School Ruse eNewsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a very different Term 3 we have all just experienced. Hopefully the next two weeks gives us all a break from remote learning and a time to rest, relax and to be prepared for whatever Term 4 brings us.

A huge thank you to all families, mums, dads, grandparents, brothers and sisters, carers, and staff and anyone who has been involved in remote learning for the past ten weeks. Thanks for your hard work, patience and collaborative way that you have worked with the school. It has been challenging in many ways, but this time has also provided us with many glimpses of happy and positive times. It has been inspiring to witness the resilience of many of our students with their learning. It has been inspiring to witness the efforts the children have gone to engage in their learning. It has been inspiring to witness the care that each person in our community has displayed for each other in many ways.

We have a plan ready to go for Term 4, based on the directions of the government, Catholic Schools NSW and Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong. All our decisions are bound by the directives of these authorities. We know that the directives can change at any time, however we will continue to plan and be ready for whatever Term 4 may look like. At this point in time the Return to School Term 4 2021 plan is that the students return to remote learning on Tuesday 5th October 2021. Students will progressively return to face to face learning at school from Week 4. The last day of the 2021 school year for students is Wednesday 15th December 2021.

Weeks 1-3

Term 4

Level 4+ restrictions = Remote Learning. Stay at Home

Students of essential workers only to be supervised at school.

25th October 2021

Week 4

Kindergarten and Year 1 return

under Level 3 restrictions

1st November

Week 5

Year 2 and Year 6 return

under Level 3 restrictions

8th November

Week 6

Year 3, Year 4, Year 5

return under Level 3 restrictions

We know that Term 4 is the term when we celebrate our achievements for the year through assemblies, concerts, graduation and special events. Obviously at the moment, these celebrations are all unknown as to what is permitted. We will do our best to acknowledge and celebrate all occasions within the confines of the Health Orders and directives.

The 2021 school photos arrived at school at the beginning of this Lockdown. When we return to face to face learning at school, all school photos will be sent home with your child.

As the current plan is to return to school from Week 4, with a maximum of 7.5 weeks of face to face learning for some students, parents are asked to not be too concerned about purchasing new or the correct school uniform. Commonsense will be used to support families who may not have a current Summer uniform that fits their child. We don't want parents purchasing new uniforms at this stage, particularly when the summer holidays will soon be upon us. The current thinking is that children who do not have a uniform that fits them will be allowed to wear their sports uniform. We will say more about this as the term progresses.

Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN results have been posted to all families. Please look for these in your mailbox. Over the coming weeks, staff will be using the data obtained from NAPLAN to set directions in Literacy and Numeracy for our school. Well done to Years 3 and 5 for their participation in the 2021 NAPLAN.

As per the instructions from Catholice Education Office Wollongong, families will soon receive a credit to their school fee accounts for activities and excursions which were unable to be held due to the current lockdown. Should your account have been paid in full at the start of the year and due a refund after the credit is applied, you will be required to send an email to the school info@stmdow.catholic.edu.au requesting the refund to be paid to your bank account including the details in your email.

Included here is a link to the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong Supporting Yours Child’s Wellbeing: For Parents and Carers: Supporting Your Child’s Wellbeing

Some Dates for Term 4. (Zoom links will be sent out closer to the date).

Wednesday 6th October at 2.00pm and repeated again at 7.00pm = Parent Information Session via Zoom about the BYODD (Bring Your Own Designated Device) iPad program for Year 4 2022.
Tuesday 19th October at 7.00pm via Zoom = Kindergarten 2022 Parent Information Night.
Last day of Term 4 for students Wednesday 15th December 2021.

Please stay tuned as always to Compass for the latest communication and directives regarding the Public Health Orders. If there is any way that St Thomas More School can assist families during these times, please reach out to us and we will see what we can do.

Wash Hands

Social Distancing

Stay Safe

Philip Barrington

PRINCIPAL